About High Point K-9 Center LLC

High Point K-9 Center calls itself "a full service indoor climate controlled dog training facility located in Middletown NY", and that indoor hall at 2224 Mt Hope Road is what makes it different from the mobile and by-appointment practices around it. It is the one business in the area that publishes a class timetable, a numbered curriculum and a price for every course.

The class ladder

The catalog runs in order. Puppy Kindergarten is split into a 2-to-5-month class and a 6-to-11-month class, then Advanced Puppy doubles as AKC Puppy All Star. Obedience 1 comes in an A and a B version depending on whether the dog has been through a previous class at the center; Obedience 2 is the AKC Canine Good Citizen course, Obedience 3 is AKC Community Canine, and there is an Advanced Obedience class beyond that. The specialty side is deeper than most: K9 Nose Work 1 and an advanced nose work class, AKC Rally, Breed and Show Handling, AKC Trick Dog with Fit Paws conditioning, competition obedience, and a Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dog class. Nearly everything is listed at $225 a course, with show handling at $25. Private lessons, behavioral modification and canine nutritional consultations are booked separately.

Who teaches

Vicky Brachfeld owns the center and is head trainer; the site also names Kim Watson, Lorelei Case, Jami Caraccia and Victoria Petrelli-Darnobid as trainers, and says the head trainer and class instructor have been training and competing in dog sport since 1980. Brachfeld's own account starts in Middletown: she began her training career under Sheila Booth, studied with her for seven years, and taught obedience classes for Booth's students at The Country Kennel in Middletown. She competed in AKC obedience and went High in Trial at both the UDC host show and the national UDC event with her foundation Doberman. Her published education includes a Cornell University certificate in solving canine behavior problems, a Board Certified Canine Behavior Counselor qualification from the American College of Applied Science, a graduate certificate from the All Dogs Academy for Dog Trainers, a vet tech program at Cedar Valley College, and a holistic pet care certification in nutrition and medicinal herbs. She has been an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator since 2005 – from the inception of that program – and a Bright and Beautiful therapy dog evaluator since 2002.

What the approach is

The teaching is positive and motivational, and the stated goal is to teach the owner: "educate and encourage dog lovers to communicate with their dogs, correctly learn how to train their dogs and strengthen their human-canine bond." The center is direct that the classes are meant to be fun for the handler as well as the dog. It also sells its own canine supplement line through the same shopping cart, which is worth knowing but is separate from the training.

Practicalities

The center publishes a release waiver and class policies page and asks that they be read before enrolling. The business is rated 4.6 from 43 Google reviews. For an owner in Middletown, Goshen or Chester who wants a scheduled weekly class in a heated room with a known price, this is the closest thing western Orange County has to a school.